5000 BTU Window AC

Tad and Toby Jackson · Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:47 pm Post subject: 5000 BTU Window AC

I have a 22' Cruiser that I want to air condition for a trip down to the Keys later this summer. I also have a Hondo 1000E generator to power the AC with. I know that I have seen on this topic several times that some have used the Arctic King AC that they purchased from Walmart. It was a 5000 BTU unit, but I do not remember if I ever heard what the motor amperage size was. Walmart in our area does not carry that unit this year. I think the manufacturer of the unit they now carry is called Heier and the smallest unit is a 5200 BTU unit with a 5.2 amp motor. Home Depot carries a Zenith 5000 BTU unit that will fit, but it has a 4.8 amp motor. I seem to remember that Dr. Bob or one of the members with knowledge about this said that the unit could not have a motor that required more than 4.2 amps because the Honda generator only produces 8.5 amps and the AC unit could not be started with the generator if the generator did not produce at least twice the amps that the AC motor required. I assume that this is true even when turning the fan on first and then turning the AC on after. Am I correct in my recollection that I will not be able to use an AC unit that has a motor larger than 4.2 amps or would a 4.8 amp motor unit or even a 5.2 amp motor unit work with this generator? If it is the case that I will need to use a 4.2 amp motor unit, does anyone know where a window unit can be bought with that size motor?

Thanks in advance for any answers that you can give me...Tad

thataway · Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:34 pm Post subject:

I have the Artic King, and I did some voltages/current draw studies on it--which are somewhere in my postings. It will run on the EU1000i.

I am not sure about the Heir- You might put a second starting capacity on the unit, and I suspect that will allow starting. The EU 1000 will run these units--but I am not sure about the start up load. It would be best to shut off the fan--and you could put a switch to do this--but be sure and turn on the fan once the compessor starts, or the unit will ice up shortly.

Good luck--it is hot in the Keys in summer--but the waters are calmer--how about a trip to CUBA?

jhwilson · Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 7:07 am Post subject:

Lowes has a 5,000 btu AC that will fit the window but I don't know about the start-up requirements. The brand is Frigidaire.

Harper

Tad and Toby Jackson · Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:41 am Post subject: 5000 BTU Window AC

Well, I went ahead and took the plunge. I bought a 5000 BTU Zenith AC from Home Depot yesterday for $99.95. It has a 4.8 Amp motor and the dimensions are 17 1/2" wide by 12" high. It just fits in the front window with about 2" of space above the unit to the top of the frame. I used a piece of 4x4 which I ripped down to 3" thick to set under the AC on the inside and a piece I ripped down to 2 1/8" to sit under the unit on the outside. I cut a piece of pipe insulation foam to fit between the top of the unit and the window frame and then put a piece of masking tape over the gaps at the sides. It seals up pretty well. The unit has a Power on/off switch, a low / high switch for the fan motor and a mechanical knob for thermostat control. I started my EU1000 Honda on Eco mode and then turned the fan motor power switch on which only puts a small drag on the generator which quickly settled back down to Eco mode. I then turned the thermostat knob from fan only until the compressor kicked in. Again, I was surprised at how small the drag was on the generator because the generator still was not up to full mode. I ran the unit for about 2 hours and the thermostat would kick the unit to fan only when it reached temperature and then back to cool when the temp rose. The unit works great!
I had bought the Honda at a Pawn shop for $400 and with the cost of foam and a 10' extension cord and the cost of the AC, I only have about $550 in the whole system. A pretty cheap price for a system that will let us travel even during the hottest part of the year and be comfortable. I will be taking some temperature readings as we use the system to see how far the swing is from outside to inside during the summer.
Thanks for your comments. I will be posting some pictures soon of the finished job.

Tad

SeaSpray · Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:09 pm Post subject:

Hi Tad,
I really enjoy your "how to" pictures and look forward to the AC set.

Steve

thataway · Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:34 pm Post subject:

Sounds good. I also checked out this Zenith at the Home Depot locally and your experience confirmed my thoughts that it woud work well with the EU 1000. Good going.

Tad and Toby Jackson · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:13 pm Post subject:

Dr. Bob,

I had originally thought that I would use the AC by Frigidaire that Lowe's sells, because it is only 16" wide and would be an easier fit in the window opening. But because it is a 5200 BTU unit and has a 5.2 Amp motor, I was being cautious about using the lowest amp motor that I could find.
When I tried to put the Zenith unit in the window which I had lined with pipe insulation foam, it was a real tight fit and actually pushed the foam on through the window. At that point, I thought that I should take the unit back to Home Depot and buy the Frigidaire from Lowe's. By that time, I had already tested the operation with my generator and since there was such little drag on the generator, I figured that it would handle the 5.2 amp motor on the Frigidaire. In the end, I decided to stay with the Zenith and once installed without the foam liner, it fit just snug easily. I decided that the tight fit actually holds the unit in place without having to shim it better than the Frigidaire would have. I will post some pictures this week of the finished project.

Tad

Not For Hire · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:25 pm Post subject:

Tad,

A helpful thread, and nice project. Where are you going to stow the AC when underway? Where do you stow the generator? Also looking forward to the pictures.
Regards,

Tad and Toby Jackson · Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:20 am Post subject:

Mark,

Thanks. Since I have not been out on the Comfy Dory since I installed the AC system, I am not sure. My first thought is to keep the AC unit in the Berth while underway. I am not sure about the Honda yet. I store (2) 7 gallon hard plastic square water jugs for shower water under the dinette table so that will not work for the Honda since we still need room for our feet at the table. Will probably just put it on the floor of the cockpit. We carry a 94 qt. Igloo with a foam cushion snapped to the top, in the cockpit. We set it front to back on the starboard side with a 2"x 2" laying under the inside edge to level it. This is primarily Toby's seat and since there is some room behind the cooler in front of the starboard fuel tank, that will probably be the most out of the way place to avoid stubbing toes. I'll just have to play around with weight distribution so as not to overload the starboard side of the boat. I do not have trim tabs, so weight location is important.

Tad

thataway · Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:35 pm Post subject:

In all of our C dories we have carried boxes --either "Action Packers" or larger in the cockpit--(including the 22) We keep cables, generators and other extra gear in this box. It works as a step, seat and table.

McDory · Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 1:05 am Post subject:

Just checking back to see how the AC is working? Also when do you think you might be able to post the pictures?

Thanks
Dave

jennykatz · Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 7:13 am Post subject: A/C

When will you guys get down to the keys . We have had the 22 and used a Lowes a/c also 5000 btu .It made summer trips bearable . We now use it on our cc-23 It also fits in the cape cruiser front window .

rogerar · Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 5:53 am Post subject:

I bought the Zenith 5000 BTU@ Home Depot, and it works fine, cools the cabin enough for a midday nap in the brutal S. FL heat AND it works with my Yamaha 1000iS generator with little load. To get this model to fit the window, I had to remove the window opener hardware.
I also own the Frigidaire model 5200 BTU which fits the window with no modification, but the generator will not start it. Using a Kill A Watt meter, th generator puts out over 11 amps, but alas the voltage drops to around 70 and the overload kicks in. The fan draws 1/2 an amp, and if disconected, it would probably start.
Has anyone found an A/C model that fits AND runs on 1000 watt inverter generator?
Thanks
Roger

thataway · Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 5:32 pm Post subject:

I don't know about the 23, but I assume that it has similar windows to the 22 / 25. The Artic King (AC of the year at Wally World, 2 years ago, fits without removing the hardware, and runs on the EU 1000i.

Tad and Toby Jackson · Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:12 am Post subject: AC

Jim on Jenny Katz and Dave on McDory,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back with you all, but I am supervising the construction of a new ocean front park in Satellite Beach and we are down to crunch time with a June 30th substantial completion date and a hard completion date of July 31. Lots of activity and not much free computer time.
Jim, we will probably leave our home on the ICW on Friday the 7th of Aug. 2 hard days of running should put us in Biscayne Bay on Sunday and then into the Keys after that. I anticipate 3 or 4 days playing around the Keys. We'll at least get down to Marathon and then laundry and land bound showers in Key Largo at a friends condo on Buttonwood Bay and then north to the west coast. Probably in the Ft. Myers area on the weekend. We want to play around the inside and the passes and of course lunch and cold beers on Cabbage Key for a few days and then into the Calloosahatchie for the trip to Okeechobee and on east on the St. Lucie Canal back to the ICW for the run back up to home on Sat. the 29th.

We are really getting excited about the trip! It will take the 2 weeks just to unwind after this project is complete. Toby has a landscaping company and that time of the year things are pretty slow anyway with the heat. Too hot to plant new stuff at that time of the year.

Dave on McDory, I will try and post some pictures of the AC project as soon as possible. Our computer wonderkid recently took a job with another company and so I am on my own with the process and it will take me some concentrated time to figure it out again. The AC has worked great. We took it with us for a weekend in the Ft. Pierce area over the Memorial Day weekend and it worked like a charm. I set it up in the afternoons when we had anchored in our overnight spot and turned it on after the sun went down. Keeps the cabin in the low 70's on low and I think even lower if I put the fan on high. So far, it looks like I can get about 8 hours from a tank of fuel, so essentially it will run all night without having to get up and add fuel. We are going to head north for the July 4th weekend and spend a couple of nights behind Matanzas Inlet...one of our favorite little spots. It's an easy anchor and easy to walk to shore. Toby likes to take a long walk every day if possible. Good swimming too and fishing for me!

Tad